David was living with his family and had done various types of employment until he suffered a family breakdown. He was suffering from depression and this breakdown had a big impact on him. David ended up having a long stay in hospital after trying to take his own life. When David was feeling better, he left hospital and was placed in shared accommodation, which was supposed to come with support. Sadly, the organisation which was due to provide the support ceased to exist due to funding cuts. David was left on his own with no help or support, in a tenancy which was shared with other people, who were quite chaotic. People were coming and going all of the time and David could never relax or focus on recovering. This had a bad impact on David’s mental health and he ended up turning to alcohol to try to deal with the stress. David soon became alcohol dependent and his physical and mental health started to deteriorate. In December 2012, David was referred to our Dual Diagnosis floating support project and he was introduced to support worker, Kenny. Kenny sat down with David and they both worked out a plan of support to prioritise what was important for David to get his life back on track. They agreed to move David away from all the stress that was involved with living in this shared accommodation. Kenny supported David to move into a temporary, one bedroom accommodation, which allowed him more privacy and time to improve his mental health. When David felt ready to make the next step, Kenny helped him to access a detox programme in hospital which resulted in David becoming alcohol free. This made a huge improvement to David’s physical and mental health. Following his hard work to improve his own life, David wanted to give something back by helping other people. Kenny helped David make a successful application to volunteer with Age Concern. Last week, David began his first day in his new voluntary job and couldn’t be happier with the changes he’s made. David is now focusing on moving to a more permanent accommodation, with Kenny’s continuing support and is looking forward to a bright future ahead. David said, “I would never have got where I am without the help and support from Kenny. We worked together as a team to move towards the goals we set out when he started supporting me. Step by step, my life has improved for the better I am really looking forward to a brighter future. I can’t thank him and all at The Whitechapel Centre enough."

Four charities, including The Whitechapel Centre, are to receive money collected during a campaign which urged people to donate to them rather than give to beggars. The “Your Kindness Could Kill” campaign which operated in the run-up to Christmas, pointed out that many of those who beg have drug or alcohol addictions and the money they receive from passers-by goes on feeding these addictions. It encouraged donations to local organisations which provide lasting support and volunteers- including the Lord Mayor, Councillor Gary Millar – held collections in the city’s main shopping area during four late shopping nights and afternoons. A total of £6,400 was collected and this will now be handed over to the Whitechapel Centre, the Basement, Young People’s Advisory Service (YPAS) and the Liverpool Homeless Football Team.

“These charities provide lasting support for vulnerable people throughout the year and not just at Christmas and donating to them provides much better help than giving to people begging on the streets,” said Councillor Peter Brennan, Mayoral lead on Community Safety.

“Putting it bluntly the £6,400 which was collected would otherwise have probably ended up in the hands of drug dealers or spent on drink to feed addictions if it had been given to the street beggars.

“This campaign was not about penalising or judging those vulnerable people begging on the streets. It was about helping them in a much better and positive way than giving them money directly.

“The collections took place at a time when there were a lot of demands on people’s time and money and I am very pleased about the amount we collected and would like to thank all those who donated and the volunteers and organisations who gave up their time to collect.

“However, the main aim of this campaign was not just about raising money , it was about getting people to think about the best ways they can help those who are on our streets begging long term.”

Tony Okotie, Chief Executive of LCVS, who administered the fund, said: “Your Kindness Campaign helped educate people on the impact of giving to those asking for money on the streets. LCVS was delighted to help in getting resources to organisations who can help those who really need it.”

The campaign was also supported by Citysafe , (Liverpool’s Community Safety partnership), Merseyside Police and City Central Bid.

Following its success of “Your Kindness Could Kill” a similar campaign will be held later in the year.